Because the term “Witch” was used so carelessly throughout history, many have died from either being accused of one or because there is a belief that a natural occurrence (such as disease) is caused by them. In 1486, two German Dominicans wrote a book called “Malleus Maleficarum,” which translates to “The Hammer of Witches,” and was basically a guide on how to identify, hunt, and question Witches. The writing and publication of this book led to Witch hunts becoming amplified. Most of the women being accused were single, widowed, or perceived as outcasts to society.
Between the years 1500 and 1600, up to 80,000 people suspected as Witches were put to death in Europe alone. While most people probably think of Witchcraft as a whole practice, the reality is that there are different distinctions within. These are called white magic and black magic (dark magic), the latter terms being used more than the former. White magic typically refers to supernatural forces or spells used for a selfless purpose. Even in modern times, those who practice any kind of Witchcraft still struggle with the historical stereotype that has been placed upon them. The most practiced one, Wicca, has a motto of “harm none,” in which they look for a peaceful, tolerant, and balanced life that is in tune with nature and humanity. Today in places all over the world, people accused of Witchcraft are still being killed, whether it is fact-based or not.
France as a whole is crazy about L’Apéro. What is L’Apéro? L’Apéro is short for apéritif. To enjoy L’apéro is to adopt a French way of life. Everyone has memorable souvenirs to share with friends and family members memorable Aperos. A reunion around an aperitif, see social ties unite and become friends forever. L’apéro unites people from all levels of society.
The major criteria to be part of this social gathering is to cheer with the group. NOW! You belong; you are with us. L’apéro is a moment of conviviality, and we are now all part of Us… our nest. Laughs, eager discussions, with joes and puns galore, an all-friendly gathering around your favorite drink. Very often added with munchies, even more elaborate dishes. All hangers and controversies are discarded and stored away. Olives, chips, pistachios, tapas, cheeses, raw vegetables, small hamburgers, chorizo,
L’Apéro is also the way of a night prayer practiced by 95% of French People. The soft imbibition adds to this moment of conviviality, which summarizes L’Apéro. There is no specific time for an Apéro…; sometime before dinner will do. Way back in the Middle Ages, in those days, parities had a medical function. In the days, aperitif meant anything that would promote appetite. The word comes from Latin, which means open. In the Middle Ages, to favor digestion, they consumed a wine cooked with aromatized herbs. L’aperitf, for many centuries first mission was to present digestive troubles. The first apparitions, like the hydromel wine made with honey, are still in use today, specifically in Brittany.
The introduction of higher alcoholic beverages is a newer addition to L’Apéro. A new addition which, by ailments, is here to stay.
For your enjoyment of an Apéro: Click Me for a fun Apéro
Grafting is a way to solve the vine; it has been used since way back then…
Why do most winegrowers in the world need to graft their vines, and how do they do it?
The technique
Grafting is a technique that joins the tissues of two plants together so they continue to grow as one plant.
In viticulture, this technique allows grape vines to express the desirable varietal characteristics of the scion (upper part of the joined plant) in the fruits while developing or keeping the root system of the rootstock (lower part of the joined plant).
As a method to propagate vines, grafting has been used since Ancient Roman times, although it became vitally important for the majority of wine-growing regions in the world at the end of the 19th century, resulting in the majority of the vineyards we see today being planted with grafted vines.
The phylloxera cure
In the 1860s, when new botanicals were being brought from the New World to Europe, a tiny louse, later named phylloxera, hitchhiked to Europe in live vines from America.
Since its arrival, the pest has ravaged all of Europe and almost wiped out plantings of Vitis vinifera, the wine species of the genus Vitis, in this part of the world and beyond.
After various failed attempts to eradicate the phylloxera, scientists discovered that the domestic vines from America are naturally resistant to the insect, which feeds on the roots.
In 1881, the International Phylloxera Congress held in Bordeaux defined grafting as the most effective and economical solution to the vineyard pandemic.
Gustave Foëx, Director of École Nationale d’Agriculture de Montpellier, was among the first scientists to conduct tests on grafting cuttings of European Vitis Vinifera onto the rootstocks of American species of vines.
Initially, only larger growers were willing to and were capable of adopting these measures.
In 1882, Foëx created a small booklet giving clear instructions for small vine growers, fueled the widespread adoption of American rootstocks in Europe.
However, there were still some issues. The American rootstocks widely adopted in France were proven to be less tolerant to chalk, and some growers had to move their vineyards to areas with less lime content.
These foreign Vitis species also brought in a fungal disease called downy mildew, which attacks the leaves of the grapevine. Fortunately, solutions such as the ‘Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate and slaked lime)’ were brought quickly to market as a way to control this.
The choice of rootstocks
With more advanced research into American Vitis species, scientists have now developed a range of rootstocks that are resistant to various pests in the soil and have better tolerance to environmental conditions, including lime content, pH, and moisture levels.
The different levels of vigor in rootstocks also became essential for growers to control the yields.
The rootstocks used in most vineyards nowadays are hybrids of three species.
The Vitis Rupestris species are highly vigorous and have better soil lime content resistance. Vitis riparia is less resistant to lime, but it gives lower vigor. Vitis Berlandieri is another vigorous species with great lime resistance and good resistance to drought.
Grafting in modern vineyards
In nurseries, with an aim to produce phylloxera-resistant seedlings, growers conduct ‘bench grafting’ to join dormant cuttings of European species (scion) and American species (rootstock) together. The work usually takes place in winter.
The ‘whip and tongue’ method is the most common bench grafting method, which involves exposing the cambium layers of both cuttings and joining them closely together.
Machines are now commonly used in nurseries to make omega-shaped (Ω) cuts on the scion and the rootstock before fitting them together.
The grafted vines are then kept in a warm and moist environment for weeks so the callus can join the two cuttings together. Then the vine is planted into potted soil to develop into a seedling.
Growers can also conduct grafting to an existing vine plant. This is a process known as ‘field budding/grafting’.
‘T-budding’ and ‘chip budding’ are among the most common methods, which involve making a cut to the rootstock and slotting in the bud of the scion.
Field grafting allows producers to alter the grape variety expression of the existing vines, which already have a developed root system, without uprooting and replanting the vines. This can be an economical way of changing a whole vineyard rather than re-planting.
Place the flour on top of the working area make a well. Place the butter salt, sugar, and the egg
Mix with the tip-off your fingers.
Bring slowly the flour towards the center and mingle until the dough is sandy. Add the milk incorporate with the tip-off your fingers until all absorbed.
Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand, turn, and mix 4 to 5 times. Squash the dough to render the dough completely homogenized.
Form a bowl, wrap it in a transparent film, keep it in refrigerator until ready to be used.
Former une boule, l’envelopper de film transparent et la réserver au frais jusqu’à l’emploi.
Perhaps the most familiar symbol of the “Roaring Twenties” is probably the flapper: a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked, and said “unladylike” things, in addition to being more sexually “free” than previous generations.
The Roaring Twenties was a period in American history of dramatic social, economic, and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and gross national product (GNP) expanded by 40 percent from 1922 to 1929. This economic engine swept many Americans into an affluent “consumer culture” in which people nationwide saw the same advertisements, bought the same goods, listened to the same music, and did the same dances. Many Americans, however, were uncomfortable with this racy urban lifestyle, and the decade of Prohibition brought more conflict than celebration. But for some, the Jazz Age of the 1920s roared loud and long until the excesses of the Roaring Twenties came crashing down as the economy tanked at the decade’s end. The 1929 crash ended on a sour note. Although the surge of laissez-faire still resonates today.
How much human meddling in the food we eat? Are we becoming ultra-processed people?
It is true industrial food is everywhere; most people would rather spend their time on the Internet than preparing their next dinner.
What exactly are processed foods, and are they really all that bad for you? Processed food starts early in the morning with breakfast, cereals, energy boosters, donuts, Danish pastries, and the like. Add some modified proteins, modified carbohydrates (pea starch, rice, and grain flours, maize starch, despise,) industrial oils (coconuts, grape seeds, and emulsifiers.)
What we deem good and bad is complex beyond our restrained knowledge about how our body functions. Besides, capitalism figures out how and where to push the envelope for gratification of super gains.
Is sugar cane refinement also a processed food? Yap…, it is.
One could wonder how convenient the fact is that we humans have an incline for junk food addiction. Edward St Aubyn’s portrait of addiction in his Patrick Melrose novels is not the substance we like but the substances we hate and can’t resist. The addiction can be like a cat curling up around your neck. It is soft, warm, and comforting when the rest of the world disappears in a cloud of dust. Eating is more of an individual gratification, an identity…, a necessity as well. No one else will take my food away…, processed or not. There is that element of innocent pleasure in eating. Food is essential to our existence; we accept the possibility that some of the things we like to eat may not be the best for our longevity. But is there a logical point in dying in good health?
China under Mao was ravaged by large-scale famines that cost the lives of perhaps thirty million people and cannot be blamed on planetary capitalism.
On the other hand, Americans, with their plentitude of food and everything, show diseases of substance.
It’s best not to understand how our daily food arrives on our plate, from markets with colorful labels promoting health and everything bio. It’s all good and makes us feel like we are doing something right. We read the label, ignored a few technical names that have to do with preservation of the holly food we will ingurgite with satisfaction. We save time and re right into the pleasure of great food. The colors, the floors are all chemicals, so be it. No one lives forever.
According to the Department of Agriculture, processed food is any raw agricultural commodities that have been washed, cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated, pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or packaged — anything done to them that alters their natural state. This may include adding preservatives, flavors, nutrients, and other food additives or substances approved for use in food products, such as salt, sugars, and fats.
Rank processed foods:
Minimally processed foods, such as fresh blueberries, cut vegetables, and roasted nuts, are simply prepped for convenience.
Foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include canned tomatoes or tuna and frozen fruit or vegetables.
Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture, such as sweeteners, spices, oils, colors, and preservatives, include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt, and cake mixes.
Ready-to-eat foods, such as crackers, chips, and deli meat, are more heavily processed.
The most heavily processed foods often are frozen or premade meals, including frozen pizza and microwaveable dinners.
Reducing Processed Foods in Your Diet
Even if you wanted to, it would be very difficult to remove all heavily processed foods from your diet. That would mean not eating out at most restaurants and skipping that hot dog at the family BBQ. However, there are quite a few things to be done to reduce the amount of processed food you consume:
Check the label. The longer the ingredient list, the more processed a food is. If most of the ingredients are hard-to-pronounce chemicals instead of actual food, it’s a safe bet that food is heavily processed.
Shop the outside aisles at the grocery store. The center aisles of most grocery stores are full of packaged items and ready-made foods that are heavily processed. Aim to buy more foods from the produce and dairy aisles.
Opt for minimally processed meats. Choose meats that have been minimally processed (e.g., seafood, chicken breast) while avoiding heavily processed meats (e.g., sausage, cured meats like bacon).
Start slowly. It’s okay to slowly replace processed foods in your diet with more fresh foods. In fact, it may make you more likely to stick to these changes long-term.
Cook more meals at home. You might not always be in control of your diet while traveling, but you are at home. Make your own frozen meals by cooking a larger batch and freezing the leftovers, or whip up your own salad dressing.
While many aspects of our health can be complicated, eating less processed food doesn’t have to be. When in doubt, just start with real food.
In a quiet town, there lived a man named Sam. He was known for his knack for finding humor in the everyday grind. Rain or traffic, it didn’t matter; Sam would burst into laughter. His laughter, infectious, could even crack a stoic facade.
One morning, Sam crossed paths with his friend, Sarah. She was having one of those days when nothing seemed to go her way. Coffee stains adorned her favorite dress, the bus had left without her, and rain decided to pour.
“Hey, Sarah,” Sam said, grinning. “Looks like quite a day you’re having.”
Sarah sighed, “You have no idea, Sam. Everything’s falling apart.”
Sam chuckled, “Well, you know how they say when life hands you lemons, set up a lemonade stand and charge double.”
Sarah couldn’t help but chuckle at Sam’s peculiar brand of humor. It was a ray of light on her gloomy day. They sought refuge from the rain in a nearby café. Over coffee, Sam continued his storytelling.
He regaled Sarah with tales of his own mishaps like the time he stumbled over his shoelaces and face-planted in front of a crowd. Sarah couldn’t stop laughing. In that moment, her worries seemed to fade away.
As the rain finally let up, they said their goodbyes. Sam left Sarah with a parting thought, “Remember, Sarah, life is like the weather. Unpredictable and sometimes dreary, but it’s our job to find that silver lining, even if it means dancing in the rain.”
From that day forward, Sarah saw life in a new light. She began to appreciate the humor in everyday blunders and the beauty in unexpected moments. Laughter, she realized, had the power to shift her perspective, making even the stormiest days a bit brighter.
Word of Sarah’s transformation spread through the town. Soon, more people embraced the power of laughter. They discovered that it wasn’t about ignoring life’s hurdles but facing them with a grin.
In that quiet town, laughter became the key to seeing life from a different angle. Thanks to Sam’s contagious humor, people learned that in the face of adversity, a hearty laugh might just be the best way to weather life’s storms.
1- When buying chicken, choose dark meat—legs or thighs—as these cuts have more flavor than breast, but stay moist when exposed to the high, dry heat of the grill.
2 – Fish is notorious for sticking to the grill grate. To avoid trouble, cook it on a cedar plank, a bed of lemon slices, or in a well-oiled expandable mesh grill basket. If cooking directly on the grill grate, make sure the grate is clean and well-oiled. Use a thin-bladed spatula to turn the fish. Choose firm-fleshed fish like swordfish, halibut, monkfish, salmon, etc.
3 – Using your thumbs or the back of a spoon, make a shallow dimple in one side of your burger patties to prevent them from puffing during the cook.
4 – Align the food on the grill in neat rows of soldierly precision. This helps the food cook more evenly and uniformly and helps you keep track of what went on the grill first, so you can turn it and take it off first. Looking professional is half the battle.
5 – Even experienced grillers are intimidated by expensive cuts of meat—prime rib, Tomahawk steaks, brisket, etc. There’s no shame in using a meat thermometer. In fact, owning one is a sign you take your grilling and smoking—not to mention the health of your guests—seriously.
A simple instant-read meat thermometer can be had for less than $10, while a digital or remote Wi-Fi-enabled thermometer will cost more. Either one is a good investment.
150 winegrowers gravitate around the Fleurie appellation, which gets its lightness from the Avenas, Durbize, and Labourons range. The Fleurie vineyards grow in sandy soil with the weathering of pink granite. This specific terroir gives the wine its delicate, elegant robe and its floral notes, which is why it is called a “feminine wine.”
Fleurie wines have very distinctive flavors, depending on where the vines are grown; some crus are much more full-bodied than others. The iris, violet with peach notes, guarantees a fleshy structure.
The name Fleury comes from a Roman legionary called Florus, who was said to have settled down in one of the hills overlooking the vines.
A UNIQUE LANDSCAPE
At the end of the Tertiary Era, exceptional tectonic and magmatic processes changed the landscape forever. The land was thrust upwards hills formed across the Beaujolais region, which were shaped by erosion over the years. The 50% slopes give outstanding views over the area.
ELEGANT FLAVORS
Fleurie wines have a certain unique softness in comparison to other Beaujolais appellations. Ninety percent of the terroir is made up of pink granite that is undergoing slow erosion. The uneven weathering produces wines that are unique and different from one year to the next.
The Fleurie on the palate is frank, the acidity is low with gentle tannins. These Beaujolais wines are as good as aperitifs or with red or white meat.
The terroir plays a role in the fruity, floral flavors… Fleurie has a range of nuances that can give it a delicate bouquet or a full-bodied structure. The best idea is to come and taste it right on-site.
In 1962 a 10 years old boy playing in the wild part of a property just bought by his father makes a stunning discovery. A troglodyte city build in the middle age by local farmers who helped extract those beautiful white stones used to build those castles along the Loire River.
In 182 Louis-Marie, the then 10 years old, now a grown-up man, decides to share the more than 52 discovered troglodyte habitations. The site has been open to the public since 2000.
View of the Fleurie vineyards and the chapel ” Madone de Fleurie” in Beaujolais, France.
